Dearest Constellation
by thepandathatrawrs
Summary: I work in the Children's Daycare for Wizarding kids. I love my job; I really really do. I wouldn't change it for the whole world. Then one day, Scorpius Malfoy, my ex-best friend, appears out of nowhere, taking the same job as I do...
1. A Hurried Reunion

Chapter 1: A Hurried Reunion

I rushed into the Wizarding Children's Daycare Center, out of breath as I grasped the registration counter. Letting out a sigh of relief, I saw that I was _exactly_ right on time.

"Rose, you have got to start getting up early."

I looked up, seeing Emily Cherrie grinning widely at me from behind the counter. I made a face, laughing as she handed me my name card with a long strap. We were good friends ever since we started working in the center last year. She used to go to a Wizarding school in Australia before she moved to England to get a job. We often went out together to eat lunch or shop. "You know me, Ems; I can't get up before eleven o'clock to save my life." I slung the card over my head, letting it dangle crookedly on my neck. "Besides, I'm never late, so no harm done."

She shook her strawberry-blond head at me good naturedly. "I don't understand how you survived in school." I shrugged, running my fingers through my dark red hair.

"Actually, Stephanie, my roommate and best friend, did a hell of a good job waking me up at seven so that I had enough time to get ready, eat breakfast, _and_ get to class on time." I grimaced slightly as I remembered Stephanie going out of her way to bring me back from the dead; the only thing that she _didn't _do was throw me out of the window and dump me into the Great Lake. Now Stephanie was living in America, working as a Healer there. We kept in touch with each other via owl.

As I moved to open the door, Emily called out, "Oh! I forgot to tell you! You're working with a new person today!"

I turned around, frowning at this new information. "What, you're saying that there's no more Gracie to annoy me to death?" Grace Menton, who was the same age as me, was really irritating. She was very dramatic, and her high, squeaky voice did not soothe the nerves either.

"Nope, she quit for 'personal reasons'," Emily paused to quote the air with her fingers, one eyebrow raised. "Anyways, as soon as she resigned, a new person appears, looking for a job here. It was a good opportunity and saved us the hassle of interviews, so they were taken in after a short period of 'Twenty Questions'."

I nodded, smiling. "Well, at least this will be an improvement," I said. "Wish me luck with the little kids!" I saw her flash a thumbs-up, and I walked into the children's playroom. I really adored this room as much as I adored children. The walls were painted a scene of the beach, enchanted so that the waves would often crash against the soft colored sand with birds flying in the blue sky. It never failed to give me a sense of peace.

"Darcy, you can go now," I said, high fiving a tall, dark haired, younger girl. She grinned wryly at me.

"Good luck with the kids; they're rowdier than usual." She kissed one of the little children's head and waved goodbye. John, the other helper, casually winked at me before he followed Darcy's way out. I wrinkled my nose, making a face. John was the biggest (though admittedly cute) flirt in this building. We were friends, but that didn't stop him from being overly-friendly with me.

_BANG!_

I spun around, startled at the sudden burst. Little Mary, a four year old, was sitting on the carpeted ground looking stunned, her arms in an outstretched position. Rubbery pieces of a popped red balloon were scattered on the floor. Her usually sweet little face was now scrunched up, her mouth opening slightly. This wasn't going to be good.

As if conducted by an invisible conductor, children of all age, gender, and sizes simultaneously started to wail in an ear-splitting loud volume. I clutched at my poor ears as I tried to soothe the kids down at the top of my voice. Obviously, patiently yelling at them wasn't such a good idea. The children just started to scream even harder. In the midst of the chaos, I tried to desperately think of what to do next. Nobody could hear what was going on inside here as there was a silencing charm put around this room (the nap room was right next door, and kids were never exactly _quiet_ when they were playing), so I was on my own to make everyone calm down before I lost the ability to hear.

Great.

_Think Rose, think!_ I racked my brains, trying to delve into my childhood memories. What was the thing that always amused me no matter what? The ruckus was making it hard to think. What was it…?

"YES!" I yelled triumphantly. My moment was drowned out as the kids continued to cry has hard as they could. With a swift swish of my wand, I chanted, "Bubblus Creatum!" A stream of colorful bubbles of different sizes, colours, and shapes fluttered out of the tip of my wand. The whole room finally calmed down for a moment as the children gazed at the shapes in the air in total wonder and amazement. I released a puff of air, trying to shake out the ringing in my ears. Wow, the kids could be a pain. But I loved them anyways.

"Rosie?" A familiar voice asked me, his voice trembling. I looked down to see little Mark stare at me with his gorgeous green eyes. He was Emily's youngest cousin who favoured me. "My bubble popped."

Before I could reply with a comforting pat, somebody tugged at my jeans. "Miss, mine went pop too!" Tears were gathering her eyes. _Uh oh._ Major déjà vu. I braced myself as multiple toddlers and kids started to open their mouths, watching in dismay as the bubbles popped one by one.

Cries and yells filled up the room again, and I stood there helplessly. I furiously pounded myself inwardly for making that disastrous mistake. _What else shut you up efficiently?_, I thought. After a minute of exhausted digging into old memories, I cringed at my options, figuring out one thing I should've noticed ages ago: my parents were very weird people. Their way of making Hugo and me quiet was definitely not normal.

Weighing my options, I finally settled for the first one, though I noticed it was going to be a problem. Ever since I was three years old (Hugo was a year old then), we both managed to drive Mom and Dad crazy with our little arguments and crying. Finally annoyed one day, Mom kissed Dad in front of us. I remember that I turned away, muttering "Ew, gross," while Hugo just closed his mouth and watched them in some fascinated disgust (if that was possible for a one year old to feel). They've been doing it since, though now we just ignored them.

I needed someone to kiss in front of these bawling kids, and fast.

As if to answer my silent plead, somebody entered the room behind me. I felt a brief pang of sympathy for whoever it was as I turned around, my hands still covering my ears… and stopped in my tracks, my mouth opening slightly.

Out of all the males out there in the world, Merlin _had_ to send me the guy whom I used to be friends with for four years in Hogwarts that I haven't properly talked to in five years. This was going to be awkward. I groaned, wanting to bang my head on the wall. Out of all my fantasies about our reunion of our friendship, _this_ was not my idea of how we would meet again.

Scorpius Malfoy stood there, looking utterly bewildered to be greeted by ear-deafening screams of kids. His hands also flew to his ears, and he scowled at me, clearly mouthing, 'what did you do?' I felt a flare of irritation, almost making a rude gesture until I reminded myself that I was in a room full of children whose mothers would not appreciate their children seeing the crude gesture. Instead, I walked closer to him, trying to make myself heard.

"I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, but I'll explain later!"

Not bothering to see if he understood, I flung my arms around him, and stood up on my toes, making my lips meet his quickly. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see his reaction.

The room fell deafeningly silent.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Harry Potter characters, just the plot and a few characters I've made up.

**A/N: **This is my first time writing a Scorpius/Rose fiction, and it's written in response to LyrisLovegood's 150 Titles Challenge. The title was by Ilia (a bloody great title if I say so myself). This chapter's a bit short, I know, but I do have a plot, and I believe it'll be over twenty chapters at the least.  Read and review please!!


	2. The Next Step

The Next Step

The brains I've inherited from my mother died out on me, drawing a huge blank.

Every nerve in my body was alert, the feeling of my lips on his magnified a hundred times. I was all too aware that his lips were soft and smooth, the tip of his nose barely brushing my cheek. My own eyes were tightly shut; I was too afraid to see his expression. I was frozen in place, not knowing what to do next.

It was when he put his hands on my shoulders that I came to my senses. My eyes flung open again, and I took a step away from him while he pulled me away firmly at the same time. I fought the blush that threatened to taint my cheeks as I glanced at him. His expression was carefully impassive, the grey eyes deliberately avoiding my gaze as he looked over my shoulder. He stood there stiffly with his arms glued to his sides; if he wasn't breathing so heavily, I would've guessed he turned into a statue.

A full minute passed in silence as I was debating to myself. Should I break the ice or not? I pondered over this for a brief moment, shuffling my feet out of a nervous habit. I finally opened my mouth, ready to blurt whatever came first in my mind when I found that he was smirking.

"What?" I asked snappily. He merely rolled his eyes, suppressing an infuriating smile at something. _Maybe he's turning crazy_, I thought gloomily, watching this strange scene happen. My face fell into an ugly scowl as he snickered again, this time letting it escape. I definitely liked him better when he was a rock.

"Instead of wasting your breath on me, Weasley," he drawled, and I felt a pang when he used my last name. Were we such strangers to each other now? "I suggest you turn around and try to fix the problem at hand."

I gaped at him, confused. I was right; he really _was_ crazy. Sighing at me impatiently, he reluctantly grabbed my shoulders again and spun me around to the sight before me. My jaw dropped even further to the floor.

Every single child was trying to peck each other on the cheek. The next ten minutes whirled by with a blur as I ran around madly, trying to stop kids from kissing each other while Scorpius was rolling on the floor, clutching at his sides as he roared with laughter. That jerk. My yells of "Stop!" and "What are you _doing_!?" as I ran after these toddlers were fruitless; I could've been shouting at a super-fast, energetic rabbits for all it was worth.

When Elvis Presley said that imitation was the greatest form of flattery, he had _no_ idea what he was talking about.

My curly dark red hair was already escaping from my ponytail in my frenzied state, looking as if it was electrically charged. When I finally separated the boys from the girls _singlehandedly_, no thanks to Scorpius, I was panting heavily. Beads of perspiration glistened on my forehead and I could feel the collar of my shirt getting slightly damp. I had never gotten this much exercise in _forever_.

"But Rosie," Mark whined loudly, tugging at the leg of my jeans. "How come you two get to kiss and we don't?"

Cries of "Yeah!" filled the room, all looking indignant that I ruined their fun. _Sorry, but I want to keep my job_, I was weary when I thought about this. This had been my job for two years already; if the parents found out that their children were kissing each other because their _caretakers_ were doing it in front of them, I'd be kicked out for sure.

I sat down, hugging him gently. "Only adults get to do it," I said. Everybody under the age of six (which was everyone, save me and Scorpius) nodded solemnly, accepting this news in disappointment. I was relieved. I wasn't going to get chased by angry mobs of parents after all. Mary soon started bouncing on the balls of her feet, demanding us to read a story before their nap time. I happily obliged, ordering Scorpius to get the book. As long as there was no crying, I was glad.

We all huddled in the reading corner, perched on top of cushions and comfortable blankets, waiting for Scorpius to come back with the books. When the children started to get restless and there was no sign of him, I stood up, promising them that I would be back in a minute and to stay out of trouble. Needless to say, they all agreed and looked like little angels.

I loved children. When I grow up, I want to have at least three kids of my own.

Briskly, I walked out of the room into the miniature library that was conveniently right next door. I caught a glimpse of light blonde hair in the children's section and half-ran towards his direction. Even if the children promised to be good, I wanted to be safe than to be sorry.

"What are you doing just standing there, _Malfoy_?" I hissed- after all, it _was_ a library, no matter how small it was. I swore I saw him flinch before composing his face back into the stoic mask.

"I'm choosing which book we should read out to them," he replied easily, although his grey eyes were cold. I stared back unwaveringly, silently hoping that he wouldn't read me like he used to during our Hogwarts years, as I was currently feeling uneasy. I was able to understand and know him inside and out, but now he felt foreign; a figure that used to stand out was now another stranger in any crowd.

I suddenly felt tired. "Choose anything and let's get back quickly before the kids do anything else," I mumbled. He frowned at my sudden change of behaviour, but did what I told him to do. We both walked back at a steady pace in silence.

How was it that only a few minutes ago I was ready to do anything for a brief moment of quietness, but now all I wanted to do is escape the silence?

"Weasley," he said suddenly, his voice almost as icy as his eyes.

"What?" I snapped. Our footsteps never faltered, and I could see the mahogany door only a few feet away.

"What the hell happened back there?" He demanded when we stood in front of the door. Involuntarily, my face scrunched up to make a face, feeling the blush creeping to my face.

"Just forget about it," I replied flatly. He snorted slightly as I opened the door at my response.

"Fat chance," he said, walking in first. "I'm going to be scarred for life, so I'd like to know the bloody reason why you did what you did."

I was pretty sure that smoke was rising from my ears. "If you're so damned curious, we'll talk about it after our shifts." Naturally, I was half blinded in my fit of rage, so I collided into him when he suddenly halted. I rubbed nose which had painfully hit his rock-hard shoulder, and glared at him. His jaw was open slightly, looking shocked. Following his gaze, I saw the cutest, most unexpected sight.

The kids were sprawled on the floor, already fast asleep. I smiled, looking at them with a sudden rush of love. Children were so innocent and sweet, so predictable and unpredictable at the same time. I bent down and carefully scooped up two children out of the sleeping bunch.

"Could you open that door for me please?" I asked, pointing at another door with my toe. He opened it, and wedged a toy under the door so that it would stay wide open. With the two children in my arms, I trudged quietly into the dark room where rows of small beds were placed, and laid them in their separate beds.

If I had to choose which my favourite room was, I'd say that the Napping Room would be close to first with the Play Room. This room was painted completely black with little starry dots everywhere. Amazingly, these stars would change their positions to match that night's sky. On rare occasions, there would be a falling star shooting across the walls, alerting us that there would be a shooting star that night.

I gingerly laid both of them on separate beds and stretched my arms. Man, I needed to exercise more often. Without a moment's hesitation, I walked back out, not giving my eyes enough time to adjust to the sudden light as I made my way to take more kids. With Scorpius soon following my suit after I glowered dangerously at him, this continued on until I held the last pair of children and put them in bed.

We both collapsed against the beach-painted walls of the Play Room, groaning as we massaged our arms. "I never knew this job would take so much work," he admitted ruefully, and I grinned, nudging him with my shoulder. I felt him tense, and I hit myself mentally. It was an old habit of mine to poke him lightly with my shoulder ever since we were in first year. I had thought that this habit became extinct after the fight of ours, but it was merely dormant, taking over me without a second's thought.

"Sorry," I muttered, and shifted away from him. How could a perfectly normal day go all haywire because of this one guy? I pulled my knees up to my chest and leaned back, staring at the blank ceiling.

"It's okay," he said in a strained voice, but I didn't look at him. "We still need to talk."

I closed my eyes. "The children's lunch is at twelve o'clock," I said in a monotone. My hair was falling over my face but I paid no mind to it. "After their lunch, we're off our shifts as Dana and Robert are going to take over for us. We can talk then."

"Sounds good."

In my head, I was already imagining how everything would go: we'd Apparate to the Three Broomsticks, have some butterbeer while looking around awkwardly. Then we'd start warming up to each other as I try to explain my reason for kissing him, and we'll finally start reminiscing about the Hogwarts times where he and I were best friends. He'd tell me that he missed me terribly during those years, and would like to build our friendship again. I'd agree with tears sparkling in my blue eyes and we'd hug.

Yeah right, Rose, dream on.

I shut off my over-heating brain to embrace a moment of darkness.

I slammed my ID card on top of the counter. Emily looked up from behind the counter, startled at my bout of temper.

"Ah, sorry, Ems," I said sighing. The spaghetti and bits of tomato slices slid off my hair and landed with an audible splat onto the floor. Ignoring the mess, I continued to bang my head against the marble top.

"Rose," Emily said. "You're shaking all the food on me."

I stopped immediately, feeling the pain. Rubbing my throbbing forehead, I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," I apologized again. Was it me, or was I apologizing a lot today? I cradled my head into my hands while propping my elbows up onto the counter.

"By looking at the state you're in, I'm guessing the children had another food fight?" She guessed, stifling her laughter. Oh, she had absolutely no idea.

"It was utter hell," I complained, vanishing the blobs of food on the floor with a flick of my wand. "Normally I'd be fine with the kids throwing their lunch at each other since you know, they _are_ a bunch of some-what toddlers, but this time it was Scorpius who started it." I pushed my card towards Emily. "Aren't you going to put this back?"

"Oh, right." With that, she took it from me and put it in the rightful slot in the cupboard. With her back to me, I heard her cheerful voice say, "The new guy, Scorpius… He's pretty cute, isn't he?"

My elbow slipped and caused me to hit my chin on the counter top rather forcefully. A tumble of obscenities escaped from me as I fiercely rubbed my chin this time. "Hmph," I huffed. "No matter how cute he is, his personality makes a flobberworm look like a gentleman." Okay, so flobberworms weren't human; it was just used for comparison.

"I beg to differ," a voice sneered from behind me. I jumped slightly, twirling around so fast that I got a crick in my neck. Great, just _great_- now I had a heavy headache, a possibly bruised chin, and a cramped neck. What was with me and injuring myself today? He looked really ill-tempered with a scowl gracing his features, his arms folding over his chest. "I'll meet you in The Three Broomsticks in an hour as I need to go home to clean myself up." He said, repelled by his own messy self. Without further words, he whammed his own card next to where mine had sat on minutes ago, and Apparated with a crack.

Knowing that I shouldn't be feeling smug, I resisted a smirk at Emily's blatantly appalled expression.

"I told you so," I said simply. I was already turning on the spot in the air when I saw her holding a book threateningly.

I arrived back at the flat that Emily and I shared. To my surprise, I saw that I was clutching the same book that Ems threw at me while I was Apparating. "Ten Ways to Bring up Your Baby," I read aloud. My eyes trailed down to the author's name. I burst into a huge snort of disdain. _Rita Skeeter_. A definite load of rubbish, if anyone asked me. Firstly, her articles practically _begged_ to be mocked. Secondly, her sources were utter crap and unreliable. Thirdly, she doesn't have a child; if she did, I'd feel really sorry for her spawn as they'd be raised by an evil beetle of a mother and inevitably become evil miniature bugs as well.

_Who'd actually buy this?_ I asked myself, leaving it on the dining table as I moved towards my bathroom. 'I mean, what kind of parent would actually want to raise their children in the Skeeter way?'

By the time I stepped into the hot shower, I concluded that Skeeter wrote the book to have many babies grow into miniature figures of her because no man in their right state of mind would ever marry, let alone have _kids_ with her. _Nice try, you cow, but you're never going to have evil minions that write utter crap like you_.

I scrubbed myself clean, watching in satisfaction as the small splatters of sauce dissolve. My thick hair was already thoroughly shampooed and rinsed until I could feel small prickles on my scalp. Drying myself, I carefully rubbed my hair until it was no longer dripping wet with a towel, and covering my body with another. I opened the door and walked into my room to the neatly folded clothes on my chair. I pulled on my undergarments first, and then my shorts and a light red shirt that miraculously _didn't _clash with my hair.

I touched my hair and found out that it was still damp. Oh well, it didn't matter; I still had thirty minutes to waste. I flopped onto my bed, squashing my favourite teddy bear in the process. "Ah, didn't see you there, Caddie," I said, pulling her out from under my belly. I fixed her squashed nose and placed her gingerly next to my pillow. I was bored. Now was the time to take another look at my room and see what has to be changed.

My room was predictably neat and tidy, which was a drastic opposite from Emily's. It was normal-sized with two closets and three bookshelves filled with both Muggle and Wizarding literature. There was a long desk that was glass topped with many framed Wizarding pictures and a laptop. As Ems was a Muggleborn and my mother was one as well, we were familiar with Muggle things, and even owned some of them, like telephones, a television, computers, and even our own hand phones. Incredibly useful, they were.

Hmmm. I looked around my room with scrutinizing eyes, taking in every detail. I would have to change the colours of the walls later, but other than that, my room still suited my taste. Satisfied, I decided to go to the kitchen to get an apple. I was so preoccupied at my task of washing the fruit that I never noticed a shadow looming behind me until I turned around. I promptly let out a shrill scream.

"Scorpius! Damn it!" I panted. The apple rolled on the floor touching my foot, bruised and spoiled. In front of me, Scorpius stood there looking rather affronted while a bump was rapidly growing above his left eyebrow. Wow, how did that happen? I must have some crazy, fast reflexes.

"Ow, what did you do that for!?"

"What did I do that for? Hmm, lets think," I said sarcastically, tapping my chin as I pretended to be deep in thought. "Oh, I know! Maybe it has to do with a fact that you suddenly appear out of nowhere, scaring me to death?" I stopped tapping myself and placed my hands on my hips. "Be glad that it wasn't a knife that I was holding, you jerk."

He scowled at me in his response, backing away from me. "Cherrie was right when she told me you were paranoid." Emily told him that? She knew that I hated being caught off guard!

"I'm not paranoid. Besides, how did you get here anyways?" I picked up the apple and threw it away, taking out a new one from the fridge. I bit into it after washing it, relishing the sweetness of it. "You said we'd meet in The Three Broomsticks in an hour." My mouth was full when I said this, but I didn't care. I vaguely remembered Mum telling me that I was fortunate enough to get a mild case of Dad's eating habits; Hugo, much to her dismay and my mild disgust, had Dad's dinner manners.

"Yes, well, my wash a lot quicker than I expected, so I went back to talk to your friend. Seeing me in a rather foul mood, she got rid of me by telling me your address." He added a loud laugh, looking at me. "She was all too eager to get me away from her."

I poured us tea and arranged crackers on a plate. Using my wand, I levitated the tray carefully onto the small table that was in front of him. "I wonder why," I said wryly as I sat down on a different sofa, still eating my apple. When his usual retort didn't come, I looked up to see his grey eyes, no longer cold, were on my face.

"You haven't changed, Rosie. Still sarcastic as ever."

"I wish I could say the same for you." The words came out of my mouth before I realized it, and by then, it was too late. He looked expressionless again, and it was even harder for me to know how he felt. I hated this. I hated how I couldn't read him like I used to during our Hogwarts years. Before I could say anything else, he cut in.

"So are we going to The Three Broomsticks or should we just talk here?"

"Here." I really couldn't be bothered to Apparate. And if he became unbearable, I could always kick him out of the flat. After all, I had every right to do so.

"I suppose you can't be bothered to leave the house."

Damn it. "Congratulations, you should get a prize," I said coolly, although I was slightly indignant. I was not inactive! Taking my last bite of the apple, I used magic to throw it away. Fine, so maybe I was getting_ a bit_ lazy. He chuckled, but quickly quelled it, turning sombre and serious.

"Now, can we discuss that sudden kiss of yours?"

I groaned, sinking into the leather sofa. "A very long story, Scorpius; one that involves wailing kids, limited options, and your unfortunate timing."

He was unfazed. "I'm all ears for the next two hours," he said, eating a cracker. I really longed for a distraction or interruption- a phone call, knock against the door, a bird crashing into the window like it did last week, _anything_- but I doubted that my wish would come true.

"Fine, I'll tell you," I said resignedly, taking a sip of my tea. As I looked out the window to see the impossibly perfect afternoon mocking me, I groaned inwardly. I could already sense that this was going to be a long two hours.


	3. A Small Birthday and the Boss

Emily coughed beside me, trying to get my attention.

Rolling my eyes, I flipped the page of the book, trying to look as if I wasn't bothered by her. The clock behind us ticked away dully, reminding me of how boring my life was. I needed a new hobby. No, cross that out, I needed a new _life_.

Another cough emitted from her, and I gritted my teeth. _Just ignore her,_ I thought, my fingers gripping the page quite tightly. _Focus on something else rather than the really annoying brat called Emily next to me. Hmm- ah! The stupid, bloody book that the cow wrote! I still don't understand how Skeeter earns money through writing. She totally ruins the whole-_

I scowled in irritation as Emily started on a full fledged coughing fit.

"All right!" I yelled, closing the book with a loud _smack_ before throwing my arms in the air. "You win, what do you want?" My voice was clearly exasperated, desperation tingeing the ending word. She merely fluttered her hazel eyes at me before replying innocently.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said sweetly, putting her arms behind her head with a devilish look on her face. Before I could start snapping at her, she continued on. "I was just wondering how the encounter went with the new guy."

"Nothing happened." Good job, Rose. Keep your voice nice and steady. Emily will definitely drop the issue.

"Yeah, right." Or maybe not. I scowled at her, although she wasn't looking at me. _Tell her something that will distract her, _I thought. Then, I snickered. _Ah, got one._

"I threw an apple at Scorpius."

There was a moment of silence where Emily stared at me with utter disbelief colouring her eyes, then she threw her head back and started laughing. I joined in, remembering Scorpius' dumbfounded expression. However, our giggles immediately ceased when Cleopatra, Emily's cat, hissed at us at our sudden outbursts before trotting away with her tail high up in the air.

What a snob. Although she _was_ the reason for Scorpius' abrupt departure; he was allergic to cats. Cleopatra had a good sense of timing, because we were on the verge of arguing with each other. Again.

I smiled, though making sure that Emily didn't catch me doing so. I didn't have to worry, because she was chasing after Cleo, trying to soothe her precious cat. I really did owe a lot to that feline. Maybe I should give her a can of tuna…

Or maybe not. I ran to my room as a shatter of glass was heard. Cleopatra was curled up on top of my closet, and Emily looked horrified. By her slippers, my mirror lay in pieces, scattered all over the floor. Stupid cat.

"It's okay, Ems," I said, casting a simple Repairing charm. In a second, every miniscule shard came together and formed my mirror again. I placed it on my desk. "Though I don't think Cleo should be let off that easily. That's seven years of bad luck."

"But it's fixed!" She protested, using her wand to levitate her cat down, holding her firmly in her arms. If I had done that, darling Cleo there would've clawed at me; I knew that from experience. I even had the scars to prove it. I never understood why Mum kept a half-cat-kneazle when she was a teenager.

I led them out of my room so that the cat wouldn't cause any more trouble in my room. Cleopatra gave me one reproachful look before strutting away to sit by the window to bask in the sun. I flopped back onto the couch, and Emily mimicked my actions next to me. She turned on the television, flipping through the channels to see if her favourite Muggle show was on. I merely tuned out the noises and refocused on that horrid book. _Rita Skeeter ought to be fired. Her books being a bestseller must be some crude joke._

"Why are you reading that?" Emily asked, breaking the silence so efficiently that I jumped a little, the book falling out of my hands. She caught it before it hit the floor, handing it back to me quickly as if it was a disease. _It might as well be_, I thought grimly.

"Well, you _were_ the one who threw it at me," I replied, and she grinned back cheerfully. "It's like a train wreck; it's horrible to watch, but you can't help to come back for more."

"Morbid curiosity?"

"Something like that." Impatiently, I opened it again to the page where I left off. Ah, here we are: Chapter Three- Why Is Your Baby Crying? I felt Emily's burning gaze again, so I spoke up, not looking at her. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

I thanked Merlin when she finally stopped looking at me as if I was a dog about to do some amazing tricks like speaking English while quoting famous people and returned her attention back to the screen. The flat was quiet once more as we relaxed into our daily routine.

------------

Before I knew it, the tiring day turned into night, and night quickly changed into the morning- and I had one minute to get to work on time. _Again_. Perhaps I should've taken Em's advice and set my alarm clock so that I didn't have to rush all the time.

…Nah. All of them seem to lie broken on the floor when I woke up anyways.

"I'm here!" Emily didn't look surprised to see me flying through the door from the Apparition point; instead, she merely had my ID card handy in her hand and threw it with dead accuracy at me as I reached for the Play Room's door. "Thanks!"

I saw her bronze hair flipping over her face as she nodded briefly. Time to meet the children again. I took a deep breath, and opened the door, walking in confidently. A chorus of "Hi, Rosie!" rang through the room, while Darcy looked incredibly relieved to see me. Next to her, John held the same expression as Darcy did. Their clothes were dirty with random streaks of paint all over the place, and their hair is wilder than mine on my bad hair days.

Strange. Darcy was always neat as a pin, and John never liked to get any part of him messy due to his vanity. Before I had any time to make a comment on their appearance, Darcy startled me by muttering "Thank Merlin" and patting my shoulder before speeding off without a bye. John hugged me, whispered "I pity you", and also left as if there was a Dementor at his heels. Behind me, I heard a thump, a hurried apology, and the final click of the door closing.

I took a look at the children. They were playing around, chasing each other, building bricks, eating cake… it was normal to me.

Wait. Eating cake!?

I let my eyes travel up to the wall in front of me, and my mouth popped open at the sight of the bright, blinding colour of the streamer. Oh my dear sweet Merlin.

"What the bloody hell?" Scorpius asked, rubbing his shoulders slightly. I didn't respond, still staring at the shocking pink streamer that read "Happy 5th Birthday, Mary Studdings!" in bold letters. _Get me out of here,_ I thought numbly.

"Hello?" A huge hand waved at me, and I blinked. The hand, cake, and streamer were still there. Unfortunately. "What are you looking at?"

My arm rose out of its own accord, and pointed at the huge hanging poster. "Happy 5th Birthday, Mary," he said out loud. He turned to me, frustration and confusion clouding his eyes. "So?"

At his words, multiple of heads bopped up, their eyes filled with hope and excitement. I groaned, finally meeting his gaze. "Now you've done it." I said, exasperated. A stampede of children feet ran at us, their hands grabbing every inch of us, bringing us down to the carpet with a painful thump. Mary stood at the very front, looking very innocent but her smile gave everything away. She was cute, yes, but usually looks were deceiving, _especially_ in Mary's case. She was a definite spoiled prankster at heart.

"Hi, Miss Rosie, Mr. Scorpius," she said, having her hand outstretched to us. "Do you have a present for me?" It was really creepy how it could sound so threatening in a little girl's voice. I had to think fast to save _both_ of us out of this situation.

"Of course," I replied. Mary's face broke into a beautiful beam, expectant and waiting. I grabbed Scorpius' arm, and dragged him upright to his feet as I stood up. "However, you're going to have to wait, since it's a magical present." I prayed that Scorpius would shut his mouth and just play along.

He did.

"Yes, we have something that you'd be really happy with," he added, sounding chipper. For a second, I thought Mary was going to refuse, but she nodded her consent, flopping down on the floor with the others following her suit, their doe eyes burning holes on our skins. Giving them one last smile, I half-dragged, half-pulled Scorpius away from them.

"What kind of trouble did you get us in _now_?"

I felt myself bristle at his accusation. "I just happened to save your sorry arse from getting trampled and kicked at, and all you can do is find a way to blame _me_?" I scoffed at his bewildered expression. "Typical."

He tried to regain his composure as I rummaged my pockets to find something to transfigure. Bubble gum wrapper? Too weak. A watch? Nah, not worth it.

"What are you doing?" He asked softly.

"Hey, do you know how to transfigure an item into a really pretty bracelet with charms?" I ignored his question, firing one of my own at him. _Please say yes…_

"Yes," he said, after a while. I only made a noise in my throat, my search turning frantic as I felt the children's restless energy prodding at me. Marbles! They would make really pretty charm stones. That left me with one last dilemma; I needed a bracelet to hang the charms on.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, and I want an answer," he said. I met his gaze to show him that he had my attention, but my hands were still busy, fiddling with random things in my pocket. "What are you doing?"

Grabbing the handful of rubbish, I thrust it into his hand, brushing off his bewildered expression. "Finding things to transfigure into charms," I admitted sheepishly. His face immediately relaxed, understanding. "Thank Merlin I found Hugo's marbles, though I have no idea how they got in my pocket. Say, you don't happen to have any bracelet-like thing to spare, do you? It doesn't have to be expensive."

There was a pause from him as he studied my expression with a raised eyebrow. Why was he looking at me like that? My hands stopped fidgeting, falling limp at my sides as I let myself be studied at. In one swift motion, his hand delved into his pocket, fishing out a silver bracelet without hesitating.

My pulse stopped when the bracelet- _our_ friendship bracelet- glinted off the ceiling light. Was he so willing to give it up to a small _child_?

Of course he was. Our friendship in Hogwarts now meant nothing to him. I controlled my expression, keeping it disinterested. "Oh, that's nice. Give it here." Still watching me, he passed it over. I tugged at it lightly, pretending to ponder over something. "Hmm, it seems a bit flimsy, doesn't it? No, don't answer, it was a rhetorical question. I think adding it with something will help strengthen the bracelet." Without waiting for his reply, I took off my own friendship bracelet and stuck it together with a merging charm. "Here."

He retook it, a small fire burning in his eyes. I felt spiteful, my temper taking over me quickly. _He _had no reason to be mad; however, I did. I was a fool to keep up my wistful thinking of regaining our friendship. "Now please transfigure these marbles into small stones so that we can hang it there- you _know_ that Transfiguration wasn't always my strongest point."

He did as I asked, though he was glowering at me the whole time. I snatched it from him when he was done without bothering to say a thank you. I turned my back on him, a huge fake smile taking over my face as numerous pairs of eyes were on me. "Mary Studdings, happy birthday!" I heard her squeal in delight as she took the charm bracelet and gingerly placed it on her wrist, but it was so distant, a faint echo of what was really happening. After all those years of wearing that bracelet every day, my wrist felt empty. Like my heart.

What have I done?

"Duck!" Before I could react, a piece of flying cake hit my face. I swiped it off, feeling annoyed. I had been the victim of food fights long enough. I searched the room to see who was guilty. Ah, Mark. Grabbing a fistful of chips that were conveniently nearby, I grinned evilly, advancing towards the delighted looking child. He ran away, screaming, but I held him by his middle with my free hand as I shoved down the chips down his back. He thrashed around, squirming and laughing at the same time.

In no time, a raging food war started. Sauce, cake, bread, chips, and finger food flew around the whole place, splattering on the walls and the floor, and the ceiling on occasion. Laughter, sounds of disgust, and squeals were loud and ringing, and I felt myself smile behind the table. This was why I worked here; the children were so innocent and had fun without a worry in the world. It was so easy just to feel what they were feeling.

"WHAT IS GOING _ON_ HERE!?"

Everybody stopped, and it seemed like even the food halted in midair, dropping on the floor without any life except for a flying blob of pink icing that was heading towards Mr. Blair, the Boss with a capital 'B', with full speed. When a splat was heard, Scorpius and I both winced. Oh no.

"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Weasley, please come out from under the upturned table and follow me," his voice was calm, which made him sound more threatening. We both stood up, though we avoided each other's eyes. I felt my jovial mood fade away, replacing it with annoyance. Not forgetting the stained children, I cleaned them up in a minute, told them to take a nap in the Napping Room. Scorpius did his bit too, but I doubted they'd listen to any of us.

Hearing Mr. Blair clear his throat impatiently, I threw the children one last stern look before running out to catch up with him. Scorpius followed. The three of us walked through the hallway in silence, and I felt uneasy. Judging by the Boss' irritated look and the situation at hand, we weren't being called for a casual cup of tea.

No, we were probably going to get an earful- that was, if he was in a good mood.

Finally, the great doors loomed ahead of us. From my peripheral vision, I saw Scorpius stiffen his back, adding an extra inch or two to his height. I gulped quietly, bracing myself as Mr. Blair opened the doors, and beckoned us in with his grave face. Scorpius walked in first, and I closed the doors behind us.

"Sit," he ordered, his hands outstretched to the two black chairs in front of his desk. We did as we were told. I started fidgeting again as Mr. Blair sat behind his desk. Scorpius' back never slackened.

"I am very disappointed in the both of you. Mr. Malfoy, though you are new, I expected better from you. You should've stopped the food fight." When Scorpius didn't answer, the Boss carried on, his gaze settling on me. "And you, Ms. Weasley. I am very shocked and let down by your attitude. For a person who has been here for two years, you should've already know the rules like the back of your hand, and have control over the children. Until yesterday, you were a great example to the kids."

Yesterday? But nothing happened…

I froze, and briefly looked at Scorpius. He was staring back, his face guarded though his eyes were frantic. He knew as well. And somehow, the Boss knew about the Kiss.

But how?

"Ah, I see that you remember," Mr. Blair said dryly. "Imagine my surprise when not one, but _five_ mothers called me yesterday, complaining that you and Mr. Malfoy were showing inappropriate behaviours in front of children who are barely five years old. Some even said that you should be removed from the Center all together."

Startled, I snapped my head up to stare at him in disbelief. What!? They couldn't do that to me! _He_ couldn't do that! My shoulders slumped when I saw his determined expression. Oh, yes he could. I struggled to protest. "But-,"

"Mr. Blair," both of us turned to Scorpius' abrupt interruption. I was too stunned to even feel annoyed. "I believe that I was also involved in the kiss as well. It wouldn't be fair to lay the punishment on her." A rush of gratitude swept me, and I stared at my hands guiltily. I regretted being spiteful towards him. Actually, I regretted a lot of things when it came to him.

Silence stretched on and on until Mr. Blair finally broke it. "I will let the both of you off the hook, but I will be checking in now and then to make sure that you are doing everything properly. Keep in mind that this is a warning, and the next time, a sack will be taken into consideration." He nodded at us. "You may leave."

Muttering our goodbyes, we exited the room, sighing in relief when we were far, _far_ away from the devil himself. "Phew," I said. "We were lucky." Scorpius merely grunted in response, his feet picking up speed. Away from me.

"Scorpius, wait." His figure stopped, and I walked in front of him, trying to get him to look at me. It was a wasted effort. "Thanks for saving me back there," I said sincerely.

"Don't mention it." His voice was gruff, and he still refused to look at me. He started to walk again, but I instinctively grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"I'm sorry that I got us into trou-,"

"Just stop it!" He suddenly said, cutting me off. His eyes were desperate, meeting mine with such intensity that I almost let go of his arm. Almost. "I'm sick of hearing your apologies! Don't you get tired of apologizing, Rosie? Think about it!" His voice started cracking, and I could finally recognize this Scorpius. My Scorpius from fourth year, after our fight left us damaged and scarred. My Scorpius, who was annoyed beyond reasoning. "You apologized during Hogwarts, you apologized for bumping into me, you apologized for kissing me, you apologized for every single _damned thing_ since I came here!"

Pain rippled through me, and I was hurt. "Scorp…"

His grey eyes were now wild, flitting around everywhere. "No! Just stop! I hate how you keep on apologizing! I hate how you're still like Rose five years ago! I hate how you haven't changed one bit! I hate how you still cling on to the hope that you and I can be friends like the old times again!" At this point, I was on the verge of tears, my bottom lip trembling slightly. So it was obvious that I was wishing for our friendship. "Open your eyes, Rose! The clock is ticking away, and people change! That's life!"

With that, he retracted his hand from my limp grip, and stormed away, back to the Play Room to check on the children. And I stood there with no power left in me to do anything.

Just like before. _He was right_, I thought, wiping away the tears that escaped from my eyes. _I haven't changed one bit_.

-------------

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter (J.K.R does) except for the plot and some original characters.

**A/N:** I know, I know, the chapters are getting even longer and longer, but this was really important, as Rose finally gets to hear what Scorpius had bottled up all along. What do you think of the chapter? Good? Bad? Disappointing (I hope not…)?

Read and Review please! And thanks to all the reviewers that have reviewed my story so far!


	4. Changes?

Chapter Four: Changes?

Today was utter hell.

During our work time, Scorpius refused to look at me, while I had children clamouring on to my lap when I sat down, demanding to know why my eyes were rimmed with red, though they had been accepting with my excuse of hay fever. It was a good thing that they had no idea what hay fever was, and that it was much too cold in the year to actually get it.

I was rather surprised at myself for being able to keep together for the next three hours. I had shut my mind from repeating the scene at the corridors, using all my focus into playing with the children and reading their stories extra enthusiastically. After they were in the Napping Room, fast asleep in their own little world, I had gone out of my way to avoid him. My Gryffindor courage had left me as soon as I had graduated out of Hogwarts.

Needless to say, I was drained by the time our shift was over. Emily was tactful enough to leave the questions at bay when I had tossed her my card with as much energy as the dead. Actually, the dead might've had more spirit in them than I had that moment.

I didn't bother to see if Scorpius was already gone- I figured, a bit too late, that it was better for me to stop involving myself in his business.

A sigh escaped my lips as I slipped further into the steaming bathtub, letting the hot water swirl around my aching body. What happened to my nice, normal life two days ago? Even on their worst days, I had always managed to come out in one piece. Now I was just frazzled. Frazzled and fried.

_Scorpius_. How could one guy make my world spiral out of control by merely entering it? When we had first met on the Hogwarts train, he had made a mark in my life. The shy little blonde boy had wanted to know some people before the Sorting happened, thus becoming friends with my cousin Albus and me. The three of us clicked immediately, despite the fact that he was a Malfoy and that he and Albus were Sorted into Slytherin while I was the oddball in Gryffindor.

Then when he left me in my fourth year, that's when my life went haywire for the first time- a foreign feeling at that moment, for I was so used to everything being so neat and predictable. I should've known that nothing in Hogwarts was routine; just about the whole school witnessed our horrid fight, all of them shocked that we could spew words so swiftly with venom dripping at every word. At last, he had told me that he wanted nothing to do with me. In my wrath of fury and anger, I had agreed immediately, turning away from him and stalking off back to the Common Room.

The next few months had been the hardest months in my whole Hogwarts life. A trio was now a duo, and I missed him terribly. At first, it was denial; who needed him? I could be strong without him… or that's what I had thought until denial was replaced with deep despair. The gaping hole in my heart grew bigger instead of healing, and I began to apologize. The apologies were brushed off with a cold shoulder in public, which had scarred me from humiliation and even deeper hurt, if that was possible.

Poor Albus was stuck in the middle, though eventually he chose to stick by me. I was awfully sorry for that, as he gave up on Scorpius' company to comfort me and stay by my side as much as possible.

Now Scorpius made another impact on me just by taking the same job as I did. I was really, really pathetic.

The same thing that I had called myself five years ago.

My head sank into the water completely, the sounds muffled and dulled. Maybe it _was _time that I changed. It meant throwing away who I was, but changes didn't necessarily have to be bad. I would lose a sense of security about myself, and I would be questioning myself and my new behaviour, but a little change never hurt anyone.

I splashed my face with the near-scalding water. I didn't want to think or feel for now. I just needed to lose myself for a moment. My mind was incoherent as my eyes started to close…

_I was all too aware of the curious eyes that were feasting on our every movement, but I couldn't have cared less. I didn't care that Albus was trying to pacify us, I didn't care that Lily was look at us with wide eyes and a trembling mouth, I didn't care that even James was trying to restrain the both of us from jumping at each other; usually, he didn't care much for Scorpius. But something in our posture or voice must have seemed threatening towards each other._

"_What the hell did you _say_?!" I yelled, furious at his remark. All the Weasleys, or people related to the Weasleys, were shooting Scorpius dangerous glares, but I knew that they wouldn't have done anything until the whole scene was over. _

"_All of you Weasleys are all alike!" He shouted back, his grey eyes steely as he met mine. Both of us had the same fire that was burning deep within ourselves. "Stuck-up and arrogant, idiotic and rash, not even realizing their stupidity!"_

_That was low. I felt a growl emit from me. I pushed James away from me roughly, catching him off his guard that he skittered to my right, dumbfounded. I didn't pay any attention him, my footsteps getting nearer to Scorpius. He didn't flinch away; in fact, he seemed to get closer to me too, his knuckles white from the pressure he was exerting on it._

"_That's really strange," I said mockingly, refusing to drop our eye contact. Neither of us was going to stop this anytime soon. "I swear that that's what Dad told us about you _Malfoys_; vain and materialistic, selfish and prejudiced. Just like your father."_

_His mouth stiffened with rage, and I had to remind myself that he was taller and stronger than me. A low growl rumbled deep in his chest, and his eyes were rock hard, glaring at me. "Don't you _dare_ talk about my father like that."_

_It wasn't smart to provoke him, but it was too hard to resist; it was my irrational, temperamental side taking over my brain, controlling every word I said to make them sting._

_I ignored the sudden stab at my heart, glaring back at him. "I can talk about whoever I want, however I want." I retorted, snappy and irritated. He made a sound that sounded like disgust, turning away from me. His posture was still tense, close to losing his self control of hurting anybody._

"_Starting from now, I'm going to pretend that we never knew each other." His voice was icy cool, enunciating every word. I felt my temper flare up again._

"_Fine."_

_And before I knew it, both of us were stalking away to our respective Common Rooms. And when I had finally reached the Fat Lady, I realized that I was crying._

I woke up with a sob, startled at the sudden hit of the memory. The water around me was lukewarm, uncomfortable to soak in, and tears rolled down my cheeks in waterfalls. I tried to get a grip on myself. _It's just a memory_, I reminded myself, getting out of the tub. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself as I unplugged the bathtub, hearing the gurgling of the water going down.

My mind wasn't exactly… into anything as I walked out of the bathroom and got changed. It was still stuck in the past, reliving everything that I had fought to keep down. Every laughter, every glare, every uttered word of hatred… every single thought with Scorpius reopened healed wounds.

By the time I lay on the bed, holding Caddie close in my arms while breathing in her comforting scent, I had made my decision: I was going to change.

Somehow, that prospect didn't make me feel better.

------------------------------------

"Hi Ems," I said casually. She looked startled to see me; her mouth opened slightly, and her eyes grew wide as she eyed me carefully. I frowned- did I have something on me? I gave myself a brief once over, and realized that I was clean and spotless. She handed me my card, and I smiled in response.

"Why are you here?" She asked. She never meant it to be insulting, she was just merely _curious_. I made a face at her.

"I work here, remember?" I replied, leaning against her counter. She rolled her light brown eyes at me, fingers drumming against the counter top as she amended her question.

"I meant, why are you here _early_?"

I sighed. "I decided to take your advice and actually start waking up so that I can get to work on time."

She was gaping at me again. "But you're always on time!"

"Just barely," I argued, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ears. My hands found their way to my waist, and rested there. "Shouldn't this be the other way around? I usually say that I'm always on time." I grinned at her warily. She didn't look too happy.

"And what's with the blouse and long pants?"

I struggled to put an innocent act, though I was pretty sure that Emily would see through it. Her disbelieving eyes proved my thoughts right. Yet, I still went along with my facade. "I thought that wearing a blouse rather than a normal t-shirt would suit this job better, and right now, it's autumn. I can't wear shorts, unless I want to freeze my legs off."

I heard her mutter something like "Hasn't stopped you before", but I wasn't paying attention, so I wasn't so sure. There was a moment of silence between the two of us, which was rare, as we generally never stopped talking. I checked the clock behind her; I still had fifteen minutes left until it was time for my shift. I looked around the empty place- was it always this empty?

I started counting the random dots on the wall that seemed to be made by the children, my head throbbing slightly from all the focusing. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…

After one hundred and fifty three spots later, I gave up. There were too many every where, and I was bored. Emily was silently typing away at the key board on the desk. I didn't get why she needed the thing; magic usually fixed everything up in a jiffy without having technical problems. I glanced at the clock again- only five minutes had passed.

Before I could think of something to bug Emily with, the door opened, and the bell tinkled. We both looked up to see who interrupted our silence. Emily scoffed silently after seeing who it was, and I looked down again, trying to look disinterested, though another wound opened inside of me.

Scorpius strolled over to us, and I internally panicked. Why was he here so early? Did _everyone_ come to work with plenty of time to spare, instead of being sane and sleeping until the last minute? He walked and halted next to me, waiting for Emily to stop staring at her computer to give him his card. He looked faintly surprised to see me, wearing the same expression as Emily did for a second, until his expression flickered back into the stoic mask.

After a whole round of throat-clearing on Scorpius' part, Emily finally stood up and tossed him his card. _What does she have against him?_ I wondered, taking the scene in quietly. He also looked briefly annoyed at her treatment, but he walked away to the other side of the wall, leaning against it with his hands in his pockets.

If I had thought the silence between Emily and I had been awkward, this was a _hell_ of a lot worse. My feet tapped against the tile floor nervously, until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Ready or not, I'm getting in there," I audibly growled, ignoring the two figures in the same room. Knocking swiftly on the door, I entered, escaping the world of pregnant pauses and into the realm of chaos.

Well, it looked like a tornado hit, _again_, though Darcy and John didn't look so tired this time. John had a pink handprint on his shirt and Darcy had a streak of green on her cheek, but they didn't have the tormented look in their eyes like yesterday. That was good.

"Rose?" Darcy sounded pleasantly surprised. John put two thumbs up, and mouthing, "You're not late!" I tried not to feel sore about the fact that everyone seemed to notice I wasn't running around today. The children stopped playing with paint, and eyed all of us curiously.

"I can help you guys, if you want," I offered. Behind me, I heard another person, most likely Scorpius, come in. "I mean, you only have five minutes until your shift ends."

The both of them shrugged. "You helping too?" John asked genially, and I assumed that he was talking to Scorpius. I turned around, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Might as well make yourself useful," I commented lightly. In less than a minute, the children were spotlessly clean, and the art supplies were stacked neatly on the shelves. Stretching, Darcy thanked us both.

"Have fun!" She said, and exited the room. Giving me a hug, John trailed after her. Now I was stuck in a room with Scorpius. I sighed, cursing Merlin. _Why_ did he have to work during _my_ shift, out of all the time slots available?

Oh right. It's because the world hates me.

I turned politely to Scorpius. "So, what should we do?"

He shrugged at me. "I don't know, we're supposed to entertain the kids, so I suppose we should do something to capture their attention."

_No shit, Sherlock_. "Yeah, so _what_ should we do?"

I think he must have heard the dry tone in my voice, for he looked irked before replying back, "_I_ don't know."

Merlin! If I wasn't trying so hard _not_ to be me, he would've been hit in the face right now. Turning away from him, I faced the eager looking children. "Today, we're going to, ah, learn a song!"

Beside me, I heard Scorpius groan.

"I cannot, and I repeat, _cannot_ believe you taught them our Hogwarts song!"

I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time that day. He was still complaining, and I thought it was very unlike him to complain, though what did I know about him now? Tired of his tantrum, I turned on him.

"Just quit whinging and shut your yap!" I yelled, frustrated. "At least _I_ did something rather than to stand around looking like a moronic fool!"

He really wasn't going to cooperate. His arms folded across his chest, and he had a sort of pout playing on his lips. "Well, I'd rather stand around looking idiotic than teach them a freaking song out of nowhere!"

"Oh yeah?! How do you think _we'll_ look to their parents when the kids go home and say, 'Mum! Guess what? We learned how to stand around looking like gormless gnomes instead of actually _doing _anything!'" I deliberately made my voice an octave higher, glowering at him angrily.

"Nice imitation," he said, and I wanted to scream at him. I almost did too, except that my phone started buzzing, and I couldn't refuse calls, no matter who it was. Sending him one last dirty look, I flipped it open.

"Hello? Oh, hey Darcy! Oh no, no worries, my shift is already over. Hmm? No, no, it's fine, what do you want to say? Huh? Is Scorpius near by?" I looked at him, sternly telling him to shut up without actually using words. I didn't stop to see if he understood. "Yep, why? Oh, a party? In a Muggle bar? Today? Seven o'clock sharp, got it. What's the occasion? No way! Okay, spill later, I'll tell Ems too! Congrats! Bye!"

I didn't bother looking back at him as I walked out of the room. He followed, looking put out that he didn't get to know anything. "What the hell was all that screaming about?" He asked. Pretending that I didn't hear him, I led him to the counter.

"Hey Ems, Darcy's having a party in a Muggle bar a few streets away from our flat, we'll have to be there at seven o'clock sharp," I informed my roommate. She nodded, her eyes lightening up at the sound of 'party'. Taking our cards, she placed them on the shelf. I finally turned to a very disgruntled Scorpius grudgingly.

"You too," I said.

"How am I supposed to know where to go?" I shot daggers at him. Trust him to find a problem.

"I don't know, find somebody to go with," I replied dismissively. Suddenly, Emily perked up again after listening to our conversation.

"You could come with us!"

…What?!

"What?!" I all but yelled incredulously, echoing my previous thought. And I thought she was going to do something smart! He seemed to ponder over the idea carefully, eying Emily, not me. _Please say no, please say no, please say no…_

"Alright," he finally said. My mouth dropped open, and he smiled at me, triumphant. Bah, humbug. "I'll be at your flat at six thirty then."

And with that, he left with a pop. Furious, I rounded on Emily. "Why?!" I demanded at her nonchalant figure. I thought she was plotting his death this morning!

"I don't know, spur of the moment," was her reply, before she waved me off. "Now go home and relax or something, I'll be back at around three o'clock, alright?"

My teeth audibly clenched together. _I will not lose my temper_, I chanted in my head as I Apparated to our flat. As soon as I landed, quite gracefully in fact, in the living room, I stormed off to my own room, slamming the door shut. I grabbed the nearest pillow and started screaming into it, the sound muffled by the feathers.

Cleopatra eyed me disapprovingly. _Why_ was she in my room? _Again_? Was my room infested with rats?

I pulled myself away from the pillow to open my door for her again. She flicked her long tail once at me, then walked haughtily away. I sighed at my nonexistent willpower- I couldn't even resist ignoring _cats_. It was a pain to be a pushover, and I wanted my headstrongness back. I guess I couldn't like everything trying to change.

The long mirror caught my eye, and I stood in front of it hesitantly. My reflection stared back with a disapproving tug to my lips. My blouse, so different from my usual t-shirts that I wore, was slightly crinkled, and my white pants were inevitably stained. My mane of a hair was limp without any of its usual energy. My blue eyes were dull.

Was this really who I wanted to become?

By the time Emily came back from work and Scorpius arrived at six thirty, my mind was set.

------------------------------------------

I felt Emily's eyes drill holes into me, but I didn't care. "An apple martini, please!" I ordered. The bartender eyed me doubtfully.

"Another one, miss?" It sounded like he was objecting, but he was already making it. I smiled gratefully at him, winking.

"Yes, another one."

Somewhere in this bar, Darcy was making out with John, though I didn't think she was in the right state of mind. Emily was sitting down next to me, disapproving, while Scorpius looked bewildered.

"Do you think she knows how much she's drinking?" Scorpius whispered over to Emily. I didn't know what Emily's response was, but I heard his stage-whisper. I wasn't drinking a lot! Five apple martinis, two tequila shots, and three vodka limes were _not_ a big deal!

I smacked my lips together in appreciation after I got the drink. "Thanks," I said, though I didn't think anyone heard over the throbbing music. Actually, the music was doing my head in a little. I gulped all of it down, tasting the sweet, tangy flavour of the alcoholic drink.

"Stop being a spoil sport," I said to Emily. Did I just slur? Maybe he _was_ right, but the martinis were so good… Before I could order another one, Emily stood up hurriedly.

"Actually, I think Scorpius wants to dance with you!" She exclaimed, and I found myself being thrown into Scorpius' arms. He fumbled slightly, trying to balance out my weight before he toppled over. I saw him shoot a look at Emily before resignedly dragging me to the dance floor. I was aware that it was a slow song, and that he had to force my arms around his neck. My hands clasped each other, and he had to bend slightly due to the height difference.

"Since when did you get so tall?" I blubbered, squinting at him.

"You are so wasted" was all he said. I scoffed at his remark, leaning against his chest. I could hear the steady heartbeat, and briefly wondered if mine was the same pace. I could barely hear myself in this noisy atmosphere.

"I'm angry at you."

I could tell that I startled him, because we suddenly halted from our swaying. "You don't sound very angry," he commented easily, though his eyes were unreadable. I scoffed again.

"Well, I am very angry at you. Very, _very_ mad."

"Will you explain why?"

I hopped out of his arms, and dragged him into a corner with much difficulty. The floor seemed to move with me, and I was starting to feel a mild case of nausea. Luckily, he let himself be pulled away. I steadied myself against the wall, pointing at him.

"You tried to make me change who I am," I began simply. When it looked like he wasn't going to interrupt any time soon, I continued. "You went on about crap like how I never changed and how the world changes and that's how life is. Well, guess what? I _like_ who I am. This-," I motioned to my whole body shakily. "-is who I _am_. I _like_ being almost late to work, I _like_ being a rock-head, I _like_ holding onto hope, and I _like_ living in the past… sometimes. Maybe that's a huge flaw to you, but you already chose to walk out on me years ago. So that's too bad."

He was about to cut in, I could tell, but I sped up with my rant. Despite the fog in my brain, every word was coming out of my mouth fluently. I had been rehearsing this for too long to make a mistake. "But most of all, you know what's funny? I'm mad at _myself_. I'm mad that I _let_ your stupid words get to me, and that I was stupid enough to try to change who I _am_. Rose Weasley doesn't change for anybody! Not even for ex-best friends. You don't see me try to change you, though I don't like how you act half the time. Yet you had problems with _me_. I'm sorry that seeing my immutable being bothers you, but you're going to have to learn how to _deal_ with it."

A laugh escaped from my lips, full of relief. "Thank goodness that I've realized that I was being very _foolish_. I've been wanting to tell you this since this afternoon, but I waited. Maybe because I knew that my Gryffindor courage would escape me as soon as I lay my eyes on you again, but nonetheless, I'm getting this off my chest now. So what I'm trying to say is, _too bad_, I'm never going to change until I think that it's absolutely necessary. And right now, I don't think it's necessary at _all_."

He was silent for so long that he reminded me of a statue again. Perhaps I wasn't the only one who was slow today. "You know," he said finally, sitting down on the empty table. I followed the suit. "It would've been much more impressive if you said that while you were sober."

I giggled. I wanted to be mad, but I _giggled_. Okay, time to cut the drinks- I couldn't even stay boiling mad. "I know," I said wistfully. _What am I saying?!_ My thoughts contradicted my words. "Oh well!"

A brilliant idea struck me. "Hey," I said, mockingly punching his shoulder. He eyed me warily. "Since you made me talk, it's only polite that you buy me a drink."

I grinned when I heard his exasperated splutter. One more drink wouldn't hurt. Especially if it was an apple martini.

--------------------------------------------------

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter, I just own the plot and a few characters of my own.

**A/N:** So, whadda think? Disappointing *gulp*? Okay? Great? I wanted Rose to vent herself, so she got her chance to vent. Please read and review!


	5. The Aftermath

Chapter 5: The Aftermath

I groaned weakly, hiding under the covers to cower away from the painful light. Why was it so bloody _bright_? Hearing a shuffle of footsteps coming into my room, I muttered, "Go away, Ems." I winced, covering my ears. Merlin, even my own voice was killing my ears. Everything was maximized: the sounds, the feeling of my soft bed, the damned light that _wouldn't turn off._

"You wish, Rose."

My head shot up from under my blanket, regretting the sudden motion – everything spun out of control as the throbbing in my head increased to a point where it hurt to think clearly. My back was against the headboard as I was hurled into a moment of panic. That voice wasn't Emily's! Hell, that wasn't even a girl's voice! Dread settled in my unsteady stomach as I turned to squint at the person who spoke.

Scorpius smirked back at me, looking quite comfortable against the doorway with a steaming cup in his hands.

"I- who- what in Merlin's name are you doing here?" I managed to sound demanding through my series of splutters. He looked unaffected. "Where's Emily? What happened yesterday? How did I get here? _What are you doing in my flat?_" As the last question flew from my lips, I gasped, burying my face in my hands as I blushed deeply. "Oh my god, we haven't…?"

Hurriedly looking under the covers, I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw that I was not naked. Glaring at him, I scowled. "You almost gave me a heart attack, damn it!" The accusation was clear in my voice, before I added suspiciously, "How did I change from my party clothes to my sleeping stuff?"

Rolling his grey eyes at me, he sat on the foot of my bed, causing the mattress to dip slightly. "Emily is out with her parents, we went to a party yesterday, Emily and I had to Apparate you back here, she made you change, and she practically threatened my life if I didn't stay to take after you." His tone was bored and expressionless, but it was the glint in his eyes that told me that he was quite amused. "Did I answer all of your questions?"

"I guess," I replied indifferently, stifling a yawn. When he offered me the cup in his hands, I took it reluctantly, sniffing it doubtfully before sending him a pointed look. He sighed, rolling his eyes at me once more.

"It's a potion for hangovers – even though yours is mild, this should fix it completely. It's not like I poisoned it." Then he mumbled to himself, "Bloody paranoid if you ask me." Smiling sweetly at him, I took my pillow with my free hand and bopped him hard on the head with it before propping it behind my back.

Holding my breath, I drank the potion in one shot, chocking as the bitter taste hit my throat. Merlin, this thing tasted horrible and nasty – worse than Mum's cooking. "Oh, this stuff is digusting!" My throat was raspy after the concoction, and my stomach that had been calm despite last night's drinking was suddenly churning. Throwing him a resentful look, I tossed the empty mug at him as I flung the blankets off, dashing to my bathroom. The next thing I knew, I was clinging onto the toilet bowl as I retched and heaved forcefully, the marble floor cold against my folded legs.

A wretched minute passed as my stomach decided to imitate a roller coaster, struggling to empty itself when there was nothing to throw up. Calming my shuddering body, I let out a moan, exhausted from my mock attempts to vomit. Looking up, I saw that the person that had caused my sudden bout of pain was holding up my hair. Scowling, I batted his hands away, standing up shakily to wash my mouth, even if it was untainted.

"You did that on purpose." There was no way in hell that the hangover potion was supposed to make somebody almost throw up. In the mirror's reflection, I saw that Scorpius was doing his eye-roll again. Stepping away from me, his lips were set in a grim line.

His next words made me wish that I had my wand nearby. "You're too dramatic for your own good, Rosie," he snapped, stepping out of the bathroom and presumably storming out to the living room. Stunned for a minute, I let out a low growl, stalking after him after stopping by my desk to pick up my wand, just in case Mr. PMS needed a little reminder why he shouldn't piss off a hung over, fiery-tempered girl in her own flat.

"Well you know what? You just happened to be a too serious, no fun _prat_- OI!" My mouth drooped into a frown, my hand immediately rubbing my reddening nose that was going to make me look like Rudolf the Reindeer. Hell, James often called me Rudolf in the winter anyways, although it'd surprised me at first that he even knew who Rudolf was. I shot Mr. PMS-who-wanted-to-imitate-a-car-handled-by-an-amateur-so-that-I-can-piss-Rose-off a glare, a scathing remark already ready to strike out when something moving over his shoulder caught my eye. When did Scorpius (the name was a mouthful, even for me) get so tall that I could no longer look fully over his shoulder without having to jump?

Jumping was out of the question, because my stomach was protesting at the mere thought of it. Without a word, I pushed him away with a grunt and he _relented_ without a word. The boy was acting weird these days, but hell, what did I know about him anymore. "Albus?" The figure stopped and straightened at the mention of the name, sending me a sheepish smile that I would have recognised anywhere. But before I could ask him what the hell he was doing in my flat, somebody _else_ emerged from behind my dear cousin's back. "_Hugo_?!"

Wasn't this just a lovely family meeting. The Potter looking guilty, the Malfoy looking – well, _amused_, and the two Weasleys. One gangly red-head that was staring nervously at the older sibling while the said sister was in a shirt ten sizes too big that made her look as though she had no shorts on. Maybe that would explain why the boys looked uncomfortable.

My bad.

"I have shorts on," I told them, lifting the hem of my blue shirt enough to reveal – to reveal… my flower-patterned underwear?

It was like a slow-motioned, scripted scene. Girl stares at flower panties for a minute. Cousin and sibling are still looking away. Blond boy smirks. Silence in the room. And then-,

"_SCORPIUS_!"

My hands finally let go of my shirt, letting it fall over my legs and brushing the spot just above my knees as I rounded on him, wand already drawn out and pointed with dead accuracy at his chest. That infuriating _git _who was so blatantly enjoying my _mortified_ expression! The smirk. It was going to have to go or else I'd hex it off _for _him. "My shorts!"

The amused smirk still stayed as he stayed so damn _casual_, hands lazily resting in his pockets even when I was already rounding up on him, the tip of my wand close to jabbing at his muscled chest. "Watch it, Rose, you could hurt someone with that." Merlin, as if I _needed_ my wand to hurt someone-. I tilted my face upwards toward him, teeth gritted in response to his oh-so-annoying remark.

"You _dressed_ me! At least have the decency to give me _pants_ after-,"

"It wasn't my problem, you should've noticed-,"

"A-_hem_!" Both of my blood relations coughed at the same time, causing me and the prick to turn around to glare daggers at them for interrupting who was to blame for my lack of clothing. The idiot was right though, how the hell did I _not _notice that I wasn't wearing my usual sleeping shorts? _Pay attention, Rosie, Albus is talking._

Albus Potter looked at us, especially at _me_, with weary green eyes behind his spectacles. Hugo stood next to him with a flushed face, definitely seeming uncomfortable in this situation, or at least at our argument. Why? "As interesting as the both of your… last night activities seem," he broke off to add a strangled cough again at this, avoiding our eyes momentarily, "I'd rather you leave out the details."

The sentence took a moment to make me understand just why both boys were looking like tomatoes, and when it did, Hugo butted in efficiently as soon as my mouth opened. Damn it, didn't people realise that it was _rude_ to interrupt? "No, really, we don't want to know. And obviously, Albus and I have overstayed our visit – we'll get going…" The next thing I knew, both gits Apparated away with a loud crack.

Irritated didn't even begin to describe what I felt. If they were going to come and leave without notice, couldn't they at least have taken Git Number Three along with them? Boys. They couldn't do anything right to save their lives. Hearing Scorpius move around, I screwed my eyes close and flopped onto one of the sofas, letting my body sink into the plush cushions heavily. This was way too much drama to handle in one morning, especially when that morning had to be used for hangover recovery.

"Why do you think they were here?"

One eye fluttered reluctantly to watch Scorpius who was still standing with his impossibly nonchalant manner. "I don't know; they didn't give us a chance to question them." On second thought, why were they even at my flat in the first place? How long had they stayed for? _This_ was why I'd been trying to convince Emily to put up the Apparation wards. If a stranger popped in, stole our stuff and killed me, it would all be that witch's fault.

I was so tired that a protest couldn't escape when the blond moved over to sit in the couch opposite of the one I was sitting on, instead coming out as an incoherent string of random words. He ignored me. Of course he did. The silence that settled over us was something I was too exhausted to care about when Scorpius thought it was his job to speak. Joy. "It's good to see Albus, I haven't seen him for a year." He was fidgeting. It was increasingly getting on my-

A year? My sluggish brain started working out the math. The fight happened Merlin-knew how many years ago. And he hadn't seen him for a _year_? If anything, Scorpius' suddenly careful expression was enough to answer the question I was about to ask, but I asked it anyways. "You… you guys met? Before?" Voice weak, my two eyes were fully open and watching him, but my thoughts were far away. His nod was all I needed, and his explanation that went along with it fell to deaf ears.

Never had it occurred to me once that he'd meet up with Albus. It was a mistake on my part, like many things in the past had been – the fight had specifically happened between me and Scorpius, while Albus had been the unlucky kid in the middle. The grudges were between me and the blond. There was no reason for the two boys not to meet for a chat after school when the feud was supposedly over. But it wasn't fair.

"Rose?" His voice brought me out from my thoughts, and I sent him a shrug of my shoulders, purposely yawning to show that I was tired and out of it. What more could I say to that? If I'd started talking, then it'd be full of childish nonsense that would've followed up with a stamp of the foot.

If I thought any form of quietness between us was possible, I was wrong. "Nice underwear by the way, Miss Flower Power."

"Oh shut it, Mr. PMS. Go home!"

_"What did you call me?!"_

And so, my not-so-peaceful morning began.

I was grateful that Darcy had enough sense to make sure that the next day after her party was a weekend, which meant we all had our day off. Needless to say, I wasted those hours away by lounging around on my couch, groaning about how crappy I felt while Scorpius added unhelpful snide remarks here and there until Emily decided to finally show up. Face down on my red cushion until I was sure he left, I lifted my face to give Emily a rather fantastic scowl that could scare a gargoyle away.

I forgot that Emily wasn't a gargoyle.

Using her wand to put her coat away, the girl sent me a cheerful grin in response, which made me let out a whimper of pain as I continued to bury myself in my self-pity and headache. "Had fun, Rosie?" All she received in reply was a scornful snort, which caused my head to throb again. Argh. She was unaffected by my lack of response, merely throwing herself on the little space I left the sofa with, jostling me around in the process.

With all the strength I had (which wasn't very much to begin with), I proceeded to make an attempt to kick her off the couch. "Person in _pain_ here, Emily dear," I protested as she refused to budge, ignoring my whining as she turned on the TV. Such a wonderful roommate she was.

There were times when I wondered why we even had a TV in our flat when I rarely watched it. But now, looking at Emily as she in turn stared at the television with the expression of a faithful TV series follower, it was painfully obvious why. Now I had to think of a way to get her off the television screen before she started making out with it or something equally odd that TV fanatics did.

My eyes scanned the table top briefly, remembering that I had to finish Rita Skeeter's book to have a full bash-fest with my mother about it. "Hey Ems, did you take my book?" Frowning slightly, my gaze travelled over to the shelves when the book was nowhere to be found on the table, but no shocking pink cover caught my attention. That was odd, I could've sworn I left it right in front of the couch yesterday before the party.

"You mean the Skeeter book that I keep calling rubbish and that should be burned to ashes?" Cushion held over my head as I stopped trying to peer through my sofa, I rolled my blue eyes at her, not knowing why I'd even bothered asking her in the first place. Okay, fine, so she didn't have it; then who did? Because there was nobody as book-loving as me to actually read the cow's book out of their own will.

It was a pity, I wanted to laugh at the more ridiculous things she'd written out. Unable to help myself, I turned my head at Emily's direction again, eyebrows furrowed in doubt as I felt myself readying for a question to throw at her. But before I could even get a word out, a dangerous "Don't even think about asking me again" was sent at me. "Party pooper," I retorted, making an attempt to suffocate myself by planting my face on my trusty pillow once more.

And the phone rang.

When it kept on ringing and Emily made no motion to move, I got up slowly while cursing the head rush, taking care to throw the cushion at the brunette's head while I made my way towards the phone. Damn it, why was it so far away? And it was _loud _too. Walking felt like hell. "Hello?" I snapped into the receiver, and the background sound behind whoever was calling stopped.

"Rosie? It's me." Oh, it was Albus. Hugo was probably there too. And James. And Lily. And basically my whole clan of relatives that could take over the world one day. As if my point needed justification, a chorus of "Hi Rose!" rang into my ear. Bloody hell, _ow_, that sodding hurt.

Wincing, I stopped myself from hanging up again. "Hey, and tell Weasley-Potter and Co. to keep it down." An abnormally loud hush was heard, sounding rather like static when there was bad signal while the family fell silent. Good. "Now, ignoring all pleasantries for the sake of my health, I need to ask you a question."

"About… about Scorpius?"

Damn, I keep on forgetting that not all the Potters were idiots – James just happened to be an exception. "Yeah, about Scorpius." I detected the shuffle of feet, and if I'd been able to see him, he would've been scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. Feeling Emily's attention on me at the mention of the blond's name, I pointed at the TV, gesturing her to mind her own business.

"Alright then, fire away."

"You met Scorpius last year?"

The silence on the other end was something I hadn't been expecting. Then finally-, "Oh. Yeah. That. Sorry that I didn't tell you, I just didn't think-,"

"No, it's totally fine! It just took me by surprise, that's all." Pause. "So what did you want about?"

"Oh! Hugo and I'd dropped by earlier because he… wanted to retrieve his gargles?" My eyebrows shot up, although the creases between them smoothened as he hurriedly cleared it up after a second. "Sorry, goggles. _Marbles_! Yeah, that's right, marbles."

"Tell him that he's not going to get them back any time soon." Unless he was going to convince Mary of returning back her charm bracelets for the marbles, which I highly doubted was possible. Bargaining with the girl was like talking to a wall. After a short bark of laughter, Albus ruefully said he'd tell Hugo, and we hung up after many minutes of idle chatter. He was my favourite cousin out of the million that I had, no doubt about that.

I really didn't want to move. So with that in mind, I pulled out a stool and rested my forehead against the cool kitchen counter, praying that the churning of my stomach would go away soon. So much for Scorpius' hangover potion. Noting the change in the TV volume, I muttered, "Don't ask." After getting a cushion thrown at my head, Emily returned to the TV while I was left with my pain. Again.

Friday: get drunk with my friends, ultimately yelling at Scorpius before giggling it off. Saturday: catching Hugo and Albus in my flat, Scorpius taking care of me, drinking hangover potion and throwing up, living in my own agony for a good four hours after that. Sunday/Today: have a crappy day.

If I had a schedule, I swore that would've been the agenda for today. It was like Merlin was up there, watching me with a smug smirk on his face, pointing his wand down at me and going, "Ooh look at Rose Weasley! Since I have nothing better to do with my time, let's make her day utter hell."

Damn him. I'd like to know what he'd think about his plans laid out for me once I go up there and teach him a lesson for making my weekend horrible. Ruining Fridays were fine, Saturdays she could let it past, but nobody could get away with messing with Rose Weasley's Sundays.

Hugging a pillow close to my body for more warmth, I held back a pathetic whimper as I plastered a band-aid on the cut on my knee that was self-inflicted, although it was unintentional – I'd always had the worse luck when I shaved my legs. It was only two in the afternoon and I'd managed to step on Cleo's tail (not that I was terribly sorry about that), break a nail, turn my hair purple from a misfired spell, and burned my breakfast. And on top of that, I'd somehow managed to come down with a _cold_.

It just wasn't my week. In fact, it'd never been my week ever since Scorpius suddenly appeared in my life again. Damn him.

Even sitting on my bed right now didn't seem all too safe, considering my luck today.

Sniffling to myself after the band-aid was placed somewhat properly over my injury, I found myself wondering where my Skeeter book was for the fifth time this day. Entertainment. I needed it, and I knew I didn't _lose_ it; in fact, I had a strong suspicion that Emily went ahead and burned the book behind my back. "I sodding hate my life!"

It was at that very moment when my mum decided to make an entrance and appear in my room after a noisy crack. Genuine shock and bad luck combined, I promptly let out a yell before falling off my bed, carpeted floor managing to cushion most of my fall. Except for my head. Of course, with my luck today, it was anywhere apart from the head. The acute pain reminded me vaguely about the headache I'd just gotten rid of from yesterday before I let out a long hiss of pain. Rubbing the spot gingerly, I stood up to see Mum looking rueful and embarrassed. Good.

"Mum? What are you doing here?" Déjà vu time. Apparition wards; yes, Emily was going to get a good talking to, and if she didn't put it up, then hell, I would. However, my pain was put aside the best I could as I watched my mum with interest when her expression turned unfathomable. So she wasn't here for a small chat – I got that.

She sighed, sitting on the edge of my bed while I stayed standing up cautiously, not wanting to risk breaking my head open my tripping if I moved. "When were you planning to tell me, sweetheart?" The gentle yet disappointed tone that she'd used caught me off-guard, leaving me to tilt my head at her in confusion.

"Tell you what?" The activity in the living room stopped abruptly, and I could tell that Emily was listening – listening, or tactfully creeping away for some mother-daughter time. That drew another sigh from my mother. Before she answered, her hand was busy with her robes, her brown eyes still on mine as she spoke warily.

"When were you going to tell me you are pregnant?" And with that, she drew out a book. A pink book. A shocking pink book that looked suspiciously like the one I'd lost yesterday. And it didn't take me long to notice the loitering two figures that stood around the doorway of my room looking like guilty children behind my very serious mum.

I don't know what they'd said to her, but one thing was for sure: Albus and Hugo were so, _so_ dead.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Harry Potter and the magical world - I just own the few characters you don't see in the books. That, and my children's center.

**A/N**: Oh wow - wait, before you kill me, I swear I have a good excuse. I got obsessed with PottersWorld, which is a play-by-post RPG website to all those who don't know it, and trust me, it's addicting. So addicting that it gave me no time to work on the chapter and giving me barely enough time to finish school work on time. But yes, I made this chapter especially juicy for you (or, at least, I think it's dramatic...)! My story's so far following my plan. : ) Reviews are appreciated! Liked it? Hated it? Things happening too fast? I'll try to update the next chapter as fast as I can, I swear!

Oh, and I'd like to say thank you so much to those who've been following my story so far, and even more thank yous to those who've favourited this story and left a review! I love you guys, silent readers and reviewers and favouriters and just anyone who likes this story so far! *snugs.*


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